Early July 2024 I had the opportunity to attend and support performance testing days for an esteemed professional Women’s football team in the Midlands, alongside my colleague Lisa Walsh, a Sport Therapy Lecturer at the University of Kent. This has without a doubt been one of my most memorable experiences during my time at the university as a Technician in the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences.
During my time in the Midlands, I was able to support Lisa with conducting various tests that assessed range of motion and isometric calf strength to highlight contributing risk factors to injury in female footballers. The findings from the testing days will contribute to an ongoing project she is part of. My career aspirations have always included working for a professional football team, so I felt elated being surrounded by high-performing sportswomen and having access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.
We were warmly welcomed by the team and the staff at the club. I was able to form amazing connections with the Performance Coaches, Technical Director and Head Coach – who valued my thoughts and input in assessing the performance of the players during field testing.
I am very appreciative to my colleague Lisa for inviting me to come with her to engage in an amazing experience and for having the opportunity to utilise the Kent Knowledge Exchange Fund to attend this event.